


Family of Two

by catraverse



Category: The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Father-Son Relationship, Fatherhood, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Fic, Single Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-01
Updated: 2012-10-01
Packaged: 2017-11-15 10:38:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/526384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catraverse/pseuds/catraverse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“No, you don’t understand,” he said, slapping the form onto the desk. “I’m his only parent. I have all of the legal documentation here. This is my son’s birth certificate. See?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family of Two

“No, you don’t understand,” he said, slapping the form onto the desk. “I’m his only parent. I have all of the legal documentation here. This is my son’s birth certificate. See? I can’t fill in this information. There’s only one parent in this family, and that’s me.”

“Yes, Mr. Laufeyson, but-“

“I know. Most kids have a mother. Most single parents are mothers. This isn’t new to me. I just need you to let me cross this out, that’s all. It’s that simple. I mean, you have our home address already – isn’t that enough?”

 “Mr. Laufeyson, I’m afraid that in the case of parents living separately, we really do need two addresses; the student’s residential address, and the other parent’s – in your case, the mother’s address-” 

“There is no mother.  _I’m_ his mother. And his father, too.”

The woman stared.

 “Mr. Laufeyson, I really must insist that we need a second address. It’s required by law that you provide one, in case there are problems.”

“What kind of problems?”

“Your question is irrelevant to the topic at hand, Mr. Laufeyson.” 

Loki sighed and ran a hand over his face. Next to him, Sleipnir sat quietly, pulling at the fur sticking out of the sleeves of his woollen coat. 

“I can’t. I’m sorry. I just can’t. There’s no second address.”

The woman sat back in her chair and took a sip of her tea.

“I’m his only parent. It says so on his birth certificate. There’s no other parent.”

"How can there be no other parent?"

"Look at the birth certificate."

"Mr. Laufeyson, you are aware of the fact that it takes _two_ to produce a child."

Loki stared at the form and refused to answer to that.

“The bottom line is, we need a second address. It is required by law.”

Loki fished his phone out of his pocket and unlocked the screen. Bringing up his contacts list, he scrolled down to ‘Tony Stark’.

“I can give you his godfather’s.”

The woman shook her head. “Godparents are mere honorary titles, Mr. Laufeyson. Such titles carry no legal weight; godparents have neither legal responsibility nor right over the child. It must be someone related to your son by blood, at the very least. We are relaxing the rules for you.”

“His uncle, then.”

“That would be more appropriate.”

“I’ll have to call him.”

“Please, feel free.”

Loki scrolled down to “Thor” and pressed the green button. After five rings of the dial tone, his brother picked up. 

“Loki? What is the matter?”

“I need your address.”

“My address? Why?”

“Nothing. Well, no. I need a second contact address for… for Sleipnir’s school.”

“One moment.”

“Right.” 

The woman watched as Loki took down the address dictated to him in impeccable handwriting. 

“- New York, one-zero-one-two-eight?”

“No, no, one-zero- _zero_ -two-eight.”

“So it’s two zeroes.”

“Yes.” 

“Right. Er… thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Are you all right?”

“I'm fine.”

“All right. Do you need anything else?”

“No, that’s all. Goodbye.”

“Bye, Loki.”

He ended the call with a tap, and pushed his phone back into his pocket. He pushed the completed form towards the woman.

“That’s all, then.”

The woman peered over the form.

"Odinson? Thor Odinson?"

"Yes."

"You said that this man is your son's uncle."

"Yes."

"That is to say, your brother."

"Yes. My elder brother."

"I asked for the contact details of someone who is related to your son by blood."

"Yes, you did."

"Clearly, this man is not related to you by blood."

"He is my brother."

"Would you care to explain the difference in your family names?"

"It's a Nordic naming convention. My brother's father is named Odin, so he is Odinson."

"This does not explain anything, Mr. _Laufeyson_."

"I am adopted."

The woman peered at Loki over glass-frames that made her eyes look half as large.

"And you have proof?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Proof, that you are, in fact, related to Mr. Odinson."

Loki dug around in his pockets and produced an old leather wallet. He opened it up and laid it, face-up, on the desk.

"This is a photograph of Thor and I in primary school."

"I asked for proof, Mr. Laufeyson."

"I'm afraid this is all I have on me right now."

There was a pause as the woman looked from Loki to the photograph, and to Loki again.

"Very well, Mr. Laufeyson. Should there be any trouble, and if it comes to light that anything you have told me today is false - then you know what the consequences are."

"Yes, ma'am."

"And I need your signature here- and here.”

“Right.” 

Loki made quick work of the signatures as Sleipnir began to squirm in his seat. 

“Will that be all?”

“Yes, Mr. Laufeyson. Thank you for your cooperation.”

Loki nodded, and stood. Sleipnir followed suit, and hid behind his father’s coat, tiny hand clamped on its edge in a vice grip.

“Good afternoon.”

“Good afternoon, Mr. Laufeyson.”

Loki kept his composure for exactly ninety-two steps to the car park. He strapped Sleipnir into his seat, walked around the car, and watched as the teardrops fell from his eyes, running down the driver’s seat window.

He sat in the car, bent over the wheel. 

“Dad?" 

Sleipnir leaned over the brake.

“Dad, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, sweetheart. Just give me a moment.”

“Dad, are you crying?”

“No, Sleipnir, why would I do that?”

He laid a hand on his father’s arm. 

“It’s okay, dad. My friends say you're the coolest dad in the class because you have long hair and you wear lots of long coats and you look really badass."

Loki’s shoulders shook.

"Language, dear."

“See, I’m good at keeping secrets. You don’t have to worry.”

Sleipnir’s hand found its way into Loki’s. Loki squeezed back.

“Thanks, Sly.”

Loki’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He fished it out with one hand, and saw Tony’s face grinning at him from the screen. 

“Hello?”

“Lolo! We’re having pizza night tonight. You and Sly want to come? And you just called Thor, huh? What’s going on? What did I miss?” 

“Slow down. How do you know I called?”

“Well, big, blonde, and hairy is kindda sitting next to me at the moment.”

“What?” 

“Pizza night, Loki. Pizza. Night. Are you coming, or are you coming? And don’t try that excuse about pizza being unhealthy for growing boys, because hell, when was the last time you gave poor Sly something to eat other than what doesn't look much different from the stuff Natasha feeds her rabbit? You. Are. Coming. All right? All right.”

Loki sniffed. “We’ll come.”

“Loki?”

“What?”

“Either you’ve caught something nasty, in which case you can rest assured that your invitation to pizza night is totally void and we'll come over to kidnap Sly in hazmat suits, or you’re crying. What’s going on?”

“I’m fine.”

“So you’re crying. Huh. Which school is this again, and who needs firing? Because seriously, you’re not sending Sly to some shady government school in the middle of nowhere. Because fuck that, you know me. As his godfather, I totally forbid you from doing that. I can do that, right? Pepper? Pepper. Pepper! I can, right? I mean, I’ve got lawyers for this sort of thing.”

“Tony, I-”

“Loki, I’m serious. Just let me-”

“It's not a 'shady government school in the middle of nowhere', it's a highly ranked private school. And we had this discussion before, Tony. No.”

“You know, that’s your problem. You’re too proud.”

“Am I?” 

“Yeah, which is probably why we get along like a pair of firecrackers. Listen, can you drive?” 

“Of course I can drive.”

“Can you drive, as in, can you get to my place without a), crashing your car into a divider, or b) taking several wrong turns and get completely lost on your way up here?”

Loki rolled his eyes. “Yes, Tony.”

“You sure about that?”

“ _Yes_.”

“Fine. Then I’ll see you in what, fifteen minutes?”

“Twenty.”

“All right.” 

“Bye, Tony.”

“See you.” 

Loki wiped his eyes and nose with a handkerchief, and smiled down at his inquiring son.

“Well, how about that? Pizza for dinner at Uncle Tony’s.”

“Hooray!”

“You like Uncle Tony?” he asked, as he brought the engine to life.

“Yeah!”

“Which do you like more, pizza or Uncle Tony?”

“Dad! What kind of question is _that_?”

“Ha, you can’t decide! I’m going to tell Uncle Tony. He won’t be very happy, now, would he?”

“Daaaaaaaad!”

Loki laughed and stepped down on the accelerator as they drove into the light of the setting sun. He wound down the windows and let his hair billow in the wind.

**Author's Note:**

> I was reading an article on single parenthood written by a single father, and then this happened. It seems that everything I touch magically turns into fanfiction or fanfiction ideas these days. Though really, this is just an excuse to feed my thirst for Loki-related angst.
> 
> This fic is slightly experimental in the sense that I tried to convey the story using as little description (both of the surroundings and of the character's emotions) as possible. Which is just a fancy, roundabout way of saying, "Oh shit, my prose STILL reads like a screenplay!"


End file.
